Struck By Lightning In US, Indian Student 'Miraculously' Recovers

A 25-year-old Indian girl who was struggling for life after being struck by lightning earlier this month is said to be on the road to recovery, according to doctors.

Susroonya Koduru, a foreign exchange student studying information technology at the University of Houston, was walking along a pond on July 2 at the San Jacinto Monument Park when lightning struck her.

The hospital sources stated that she had been miraculously breathing on her own since last week and had been taken off the ventilator.

The doctors said that her health condition was progressing well, and if her recovery continues at this rate, she'll not need a ventilator.

Her family members have been trying to get her parents' visas sanctioned to travel from Hyderabad to Houston. Their visas have finally been approved, and they'll fly to the United States next week.

Susroonya Koduru was put on ventilator support with a tracheostomy as she struggled to breathe on her own. She also had a PEG tube to support nutrition as the doctors waited for the return of any brain function.

The University of Houston tweeted that their hearts were heavy with concern and compassion for their student Sustoonya Kaduru, who was hit by lightning earlier this month. The University also wrote that they were closely in contact with her family in India and understood the impact of such an unforeseen incident.

The University further explained that they understood the urgency of the situation and that their international students and scholar services office was assisting her parents with the VISA process.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Our hearts are heavy with concern and compassion for Susroonya Koduru, a University of Houston graduate student who was struck by lightning earlier this month.<br><br>Read more: <a href="https://t.co/iQhavsKBr1">pic.twitter.com/iQhavsKBr1</a></p>&mdash; University of Houston (@UHouston) <a href="https://twitter.com/UHouston/status/1683904018991415313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Susroonya Koduru's cousin, Surendra Kumar Kotha, shared that when she was struck by lightning, she was thrown into the pond and suffered a cardiac arrest for 20 minutes before circulation was restored. He added that she subsequently suffered brain damage and went into a coma.

At this point, she was unable to breathe on her own and needed to be put on ventilator support along with nutrition support.

 Koduru's family is appealing to "GoFundMe" to cover the medical costs. The family urged for all the help that would help her return to a normal life.

Koduru was pursuing her master's degree in information technology and had almost completed her course. She was waiting on an internship opportunity when the unfortunate event happened.

Suggested Reading: Indian Student Found Starving On Chicago Street, Mother Pleas For Help